It was a single blow.

── .

In that one strike, countless siege constructs erupted. The ground was obliterated, and an entity that had been hauling a massive weapon was shredded along with it.

However, only those who were familiar with National Treasure No.17: Giant Soldier’s Sword○ could recognize that it had been a “single blow.”

From the soldiers’ point of view, it looked different. Dante had merely held a sword—yet the charging siege constructs burst apart on their own, shattered, and were flung back. Something invisible was ruling that space. The soldiers could only faintly sense that the ruler was Dante Hiakapo.

At that moment, the legendary war commander Eymon, who was soaring through the battlefield using [Levitation], was reeling inwardly. ‘...Where the hell did a freak like that come from?’ Even as she continued to issue various commands, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Dante’s fight.

He moved the Giant Soldier like a puppet. With every impact from the colossal weapon he wielded, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Dante was burning his own body to fight.

But what shocked Eymon wasn’t that kind of thing.

“Whoa... as expected of a [National Treasure]...” A subordinate who was floating beside her muttered. “Incredible. For one person to hold back that kind of force alone... The power of a national treasure really is...”

Eymon knew now was not the time for such thoughts, and yet she found herself annoyed. Because it was utter idiocy.

She had served outside the Lewiyan region many times as a war commander, having been dispatched on numerous missions for capitals and royal courts. Among them, she had seen three people who had been lent the Giant Soldier’s Sword○.

All of them were great warriors. Royal or capital-affiliated elites—people who would have called her a strategist. But none of them had wielded the national treasure the way Dante did.

When they used the Giant Soldier’s Sword○, it was clumsy. Like swinging a massive axe straight down. Powerful, yes—but lacking finesse. Often missing their mark. It was the kind of swing you’d expect from a village idiot chopping firewood and nearly cleaving his own shin.

But.

‘...How is that boy doing it?’

It was different. Clearly different.

First, it wasn’t an axe. It was a sword.

To be more specific, Dante was using the Giant Soldier’s Sword as a blade, performing actual swordsmanship. It was precise. Lethal. With perfect form, he efficiently sliced through massive siege constructs.

Second, Dante didn’t just wield the “sword”—he was also moving the Giant Soldier’s hands and arms freely. When a siege construct covered in glowing tattoos set itself on fire and charged at a group of mages and warriors, Dante extended the Giant’s arm to shield them.

Boom!!!

The mages, who weren’t caught in the explosion, merely assumed someone had blocked it, but Eymon saw it clearly. Dante had stopped it.

Third... this was a different kind of shock entirely. ‘That arrogant weapon is actually obeying him.’

The many warriors and powerhouses Eymon had witnessed being dragged around by the Giant Soldier’s Sword○ used to curse it behind its back. And rightly so—every masterpiece had its own personality, and the Sword’s was that of an arrogant, highborn prince.

There were times it had even disobeyed its wielder and struck back at them.

That arrogant sword was now being wielded by a man even more arrogant.

Eymon couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. ‘...Fucking lunatic.’

She’d thought that, once the war was over, she might somehow lure him into her bed and see what he was like under the sheets. But now, no matter how she thought about it, that clearly wasn’t going to happen.

And yet, now was not the time for such thoughts. Eymon, who had been reading the flow of the battlefield, suddenly frowned. The “Phase 2” Dante had warned her about was drawing near.

*

Meanwhile, there were two commanders who had harbored the greatest dissatisfaction with Dante’s orders thus far. As Count Kahla’s commanders, they had not been subject to Dante’s direct control. They’d joined the war half-heartedly, and their assignments were just as vague.

The Count’s adjutant—now under Eymon’s direct command in her assassination strike unit—was Kion, and he found Dante’s orders incredibly offensive.

Dante had given him only one command:

Dante: Keep me alive.

What kind of bullshit order was that? And then the man, a supposed commander, was running around with a sword like a madman. Why was he wasting military power by acting out?

At the same time, the commander in charge of the Count’s secret weapon Thunderclap—Python—was also deeply displeased with Dante’s instructions.

Beforehand, Dante had clearly said, “Don’t fire Thunderclap until I give the signal.”

‘Who the hell does he think he is?’

Thunderclap was a weapon where the commander’s timing and skill were everything. Python prided himself as the most capable in that role.

He’d seen it multiple times—those windows when the siege constructs clustered. If he timed it right, within 1.5 seconds, he could inflict enormous damage.

Python: Now?

Dante: Not yet.

He kept asking. Again and again.

Python: Now?

Dante: Not yet.

Python: Now??

Dante: Not yet.

Python: Now? Hello??

Dante: Not yet.

⋮

Then, when the enemy surged toward Moong Hyul like a tide—Python saw it. Ten seconds. If he fired in ten seconds, he could annihilate the enemy. So he couldn’t hold back and asked emotionally:

Python: Not yet?! If not now, why the hell am I even here?!

And yet Dante’s reply was flat. Calm. Unbothered.

Dante: Not yet.

...This fucking lunatic!

Python saw red. He was ready to throw Dante’s orders in the trash and just fire.

But just as he was about to... Dante stepped into the line of fire.

‘What the hell are you doing?! Fuck!!’

At that moment, the same memory flashed through both Kion and Python’s heads:

—“The outer wall will fall regardless. Just keep that in mind, both of you.”

After the military meeting, Dante had pulled them aside and said that. It only made them angrier.

Why say that before the fight even starts?

Then what the hell are we even guarding the wall for?

But all that frustration started to melt away—right after Dante alone blocked hundreds of siege constructs.

“......Ah!!”

Kion, the assassination strike commander, suddenly understood why Dante had ordered him:

Dante: Keep me alive.

Dante Hiakapo, standing at the most dangerous and lethal point, was turning the tide of battle with overwhelming efficiency.

No one else could do what he was doing there. Even if they could match his power, they would have to sacrifice their lives.

But Dante Hiakapo kept fighting.

A chill ran down Kion’s spine. They had to keep him alive. He shouted over the [communication channel]:

“Protect Professor Dante! Stop the small units! Kill the bomb-laden siege constructs at the rear!!”

Only now did he grasp the full intent behind those words:

Dante: Keep me alive.

He must not die!

If he dies, the war ends in defeat!

This battlefield, even with all its disadvantages, was barely being held together by his presence!!

“Protect Professor Dante―!!”

At the same time, Python—the commander of Thunderclap—also finally understood Dante’s intent.

‘...What the hell is this?’

He read the shift. The moment the siege constructs’ behavior changed.

‘Huh?’

Their killing intent was fading. They were still pressing forward, but without aggression. Were they... scared?

‘Huhhh?’

Yet even so, they kept pressing their bodies against the allied troops.

Like a boxer who wasn’t throwing punches but kept pushing forward with his weight.

Then one siege construct looked around... and grabbed the corpses and cannons lying on the battlefield. Arms full. And started running.

‘...Ah!!’

Bomiteka eats and regurgitates. To spit something out, it has to consume. The more refined the material, the better it’s absorbed—Dante had said so.

Refined things. Humans love that stuff. Woven cloth, swords, magic staves—and barrels made of highly purified metals.

In other words, the siege constructs were gathering material to feed their master!

Python was about to ask—hand hovering over the [communication] switch. But he didn’t have to.

Dante: Now!!

A jolt like lightning cracked through his brain.

He screamed: “Fire!!!”

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt ━━

The Count’s secret weapon Thunderclap fired. A brilliant blue bolt fell from the sky, piercing through dozens of siege constructs. Then incinerated the ones that had been trying to carry away corpses and gear.

It was incomparable to the chance Python had targeted earlier. This was maximum efficiency.

‘That was it!!’

Python clenched his fist and turned to the professor across the field.

‘Huh!?’

Only to see the professor struck by a siege construct’s black spear and flung away.

*

I gasped for breath. Blood poured from my nose and eyes. The metallic taste of iron filled my mouth; I swallowed it.

I forced my collapsing body upright. This was the aftermath of pushing the Giant Soldier’s Sword○ to the extreme.

Ultimately, the sword’s inherent flaw remained—when the weapon moved, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ my body didn’t. I had stood frozen and allowed a small construct to land several hits. I’d been flung back and rolled across the ground.

‘...Good thing I boosted my stats when I lifted Balmung’s curse.’

The [Stamina] stat enhanced endurance, vitality, recovery, and the body’s natural defense. On top of that, I was wearing the most expensive stealth gear I’d stolen from the Count’s estate.

If not for that, I’d already be dead.

“Professor Dante! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine.”

I stood up. Now wasn’t the time to sit around. The battle against Bomiteka had three phases. Phase 1 was nearly over.

And it was ending in our overwhelming favor.

Which meant the rabid mutt stuck in the mud would soon lose patience and enter Phase 2. If we failed to suppress it properly, we might be unlucky enough to transition into Phase 3.

And that...

‘Phase 3’ must never happen.

If it did, we’d be annihilated without exception.

I raised my wavering vision and looked into the distance. At last, Bomiteka’s massive body was emerging from the rift, dropping down.

Thunderclap had been a bit of a disappointment.

Half of the siege constructs carrying loot were killed. That wasn’t bad. Honestly, it was annoying that only half were destroyed—but considering it wasn’t me who fired it, it was acceptable.

Eymon was now brilliantly tracking the flow and preventing the rest from taking anything more.

In other words, that “disappointing” Thunderclap had saved half of them.

Bomiteka’s massive body opened its mouth wide, gnashing at the air. Like a baby searching for milk. It was grotesque.

Its left eye had been shot out. The right one was smashed beyond use. That was why. The faceless demons gently shoved the offerings into its writhing mouth.

Bomiteka chomped down on siege constructs and corpses alike. Its body processed, digested, and refined them. The skull damaged by Moong Hyul’s attack was being rebuilt with purified metal.

It wasn’t enough to rebuild its eyes, but even having its skull restored for smoother movement was dangerous.

“He–He’s coming!!”

Then, an explosion burst from around Bomiteka’s neck. The stolen gunpowder and mana stones ignited. The force of the blast sent its body tumbling forward.

A thirty-meter-high sphere, the size of a twelve-story building, began rolling toward the outer wall. Like a tank. Like a bulldozer. Like a mountain avalanche, it came rolling with impossible force.

Eymon: Retreat! Retreat now!!

That was not something we could block. Even Moong Hyul couldn’t. The eyeball alone had been five meters in diameter—and blocking that had torn half the old man’s body apart. So what could anyone do against thirty meters?

This was why the fall of the outer wall had been calculated from the start.

This isn’t a game where you go shirtless and hack through enemies with a sword.

It’s a game about optimal choices within a tightly controlled balance system.

And I knew exactly what I had to do right now.

Then, without warning, a system message popped up.

A new star enters the scene, intrigued by the spectacle.

Entering Star: │ㅅㅇ)

What the...?

What’s this bastard?

I ignored it. I got up. Shouts echoed from nearby. “Professor! You need to run! You have to get away!” ...That kind of nonsense. I shoved the sword forward and pushed aside those who came near. Ignoring their panicked expressions, I walked forward.

Unfortunately, I was the only person here capable of dealing more damage than Thunderclap. There was one other, a Hero—but if he struck at the rolling Bomiteka, it’d be like an elephant getting hit by a dump truck.

I, on the other hand, could become the overpass height restriction sign that breaks the dump truck’s windshield. That was the best I could do.

‘My job ends at the outer gate.’

Force is mass multiplied by acceleration.

F = ma

Newton’s second law of motion still applied in this world—at least to some extent.

I had a strategy in one of my guides: steal magic from a dragon whose wings had been cut and drop it to its death. This was the same idea.

With that bloated monster now charging full-speed toward us, I had one chance to inflict damage that would never be possible again.

Here. Right here.

I had to shave off at least half of its health bar.

So I chose to invest.

You have selected Forbidden Augmentation Technique │ Level [8] Ability 『Stigma Imbuement I』

It was [Forbidden] again.

I hadn’t wanted to learn this, but there was no other way.

The cost is 250 Star Shards. Proceed with the investment?

A level 8 ability.

250 shards.

Cost to raise proficiency to 90.00% is 104 Star Shards. Proceed with the investment?

And proficiency too.

Investment complete.

You have acquired Forbidden Augmentation Technique │ Level [8] Ability 『Stigma Imbuement I』

In that moment, insights began hammering into my brain, like engravings being carved into my skull. I began to understand and internalize them—like someone who had spent years studying the field.

This was the most powerful growth system granted by the System⧉ to the protagonist of this world.

Combat Power: 183,471 → 204,485 (▲21,014)

Remaining Star Shards: 20 (▼354)

The reason I didn’t want to learn this skill was because it consumes Star Shards upon use.

The stigma I planned to imbue was of the 「Holy†」 attribute. Stronger against demons than even 「Radiance⁺₊⋆」—the power of light itself.

The target was Giant Soldier’s Sword○. The sword, already sensitive to its previous stigma, seemed displeased at the idea of another—but if it dared protest again, I’d just break it and die with it. Maybe it sensed that resolve; it stayed quiet.

⋮

『 Stigma Imbuement I: 「Cruciform Star†」⊂「Giant Soldier’s Sword○」 』

Remaining Star Shards: 0 (▼20)

⋮

A burst of divine power erupted from my once-mundane sword.

Flash―!

So intense that everyone watching was stunned. “Huh?!” “Th-That’s!!” Holy power that only high-ranking priests could wield now lingered at my blade’s tip. I’d figure out how to hide that later.

“Professor Dante!! It’s dangerous—!!”

This was the moment.

I raised the tip of the Giant Soldier’s Sword and brought it crashing down toward the rolling Bomiteka.

───── .